Arugula Salad with Tangelo, Edamame, Fennel, and Avocado

Most of my meals in the winter are cooked- I crave the warm, comforting foods like roasted veggies and soups. But sometimes these cold, rainy days call for something bright and fresh, to contrast the dreary weather. And other times, there just isn’t enough time to wait for the oven or stove. Last weekend was a crazy busy one (and a rainy one, of course), so both the weather and time constraint inspired me to make something wintery fresh. I also find that when my life (typically school) is especially stressful, a delicious meal is just the right thing to take the edge off. When I walked into Whole Foods, and knew I only had a few minutes, I did what I always do: look for whatever’s on sale in the produce section. This weekend, I saw avocados (yay!) and tangelos (new!). I have only eaten tangelos a few times before, but for some reason they just taste so much better than the good old fashioned orange. So I bought a few of those, avocados galore, and then racked my brain for what else to add to my “wintery fresh” salad. Fennel seemed like the perfect winter vegetable for that extra crunch, and a combo of arugula and mixed greens for the base. For a protein source, I already had edamame at home, so voila!, my quick meal was created in 3 minutes.

This salad completely hit the spot, and was ready in 5 minutes. I tossed the greens with a homemade sesame-soy-vinegar dressing to add a savory note to the citrusy salad. You could also use a store-bought sesame salad dressing, but this was only 4 ingredients so I suggest you try it. I always make a fair amount of dressing, and then save it in small jars in my fridge to use for other salads and stir-fries. In this dressing, I combined sesame oil, rice vinegar, Bragg’s soy seasoning, and agave. You could definitely substitute normal soy sauce and honey or maple syrup too. If you haven’t tried Bragg’s though, I highly recommend- it has a distinct flavor that I actually prefer to soy sauce, it’s gluten-free, and has a whole slew of amino acids that your body needs.

The whole salad is amazingly nutritious. All of the vegetables and fruits are loaded with vitamins and fiber, and the edamame has plenty of protein to keep you full for longer. (For detailed nutrition info, see nutrition fact chart at end of post). If you’re extra hungry, I would suggest doubling the edamame or adding another protein source such as chicken or tofu. As I’ve mentioned before, fennel is excellent for digestion, but also for your breath. So maybe save a piece of raw fennel to eat at the end of your meal too? 🙂 Anyway, here is the recipe, hope you enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 1 tangelo, peeled, in pieces
• 1 avocado (large-ish), halved and sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel
• 1/2 cup edamame, shelled
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp Bragg’s soy seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp agave
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Toss the greens together with most of the dressing. Split onto 2 plates.
2. Divide the rest of the ingredients evenly over the greens.
3. Drizzle the remaining dressing over each salad. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Enjoy!